“The pages are still blank, but
there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible
ink and clamoring to become visible.”
~ Vladimir Nabokov ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Fiction
University is always worth a look, but some posts are absolutely not to be
missed. Janice Hardy is running a series of posts on revision. One of the best
HERE is Clean Up the Description and Stage Direction.
HERE
is another one from Ms. Hardy. One of the best on revision she has had, and
that’s saying something.
Every
wonder how much time your story should cover? Wonder no more. K. M. Weiland
explains it all HERE in her post called The Crucial Way to Figure Out How Much
Time Your Story Should Take.
Last time we met, I offered a copy of Scar Boys by Len Vlahos to one of you. This week's winner is Helen! Congratulations, Helen. I will get the book out to you this week. I have another great giveaway this week, so stay tuned.
A year and a half ago, I was lucky enough to attend the Highlight's Whole Novel Historical Fiction workshop. It was a great experience. One of the things that made it great was the wonderful faculty. One member of the faculty was Augusta Scattergood. Her first book, Glory Be, hadn't been out too long, but it certainly had received a great deal of acclaim. It is a wonderful book. If you haven't read it yet, you should. But this week I am going to tell you about her second novel, The Way to Stay in Destiny. When she told me it was about, among other things, a relationship that had love of baseball at it core, she had me. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.
It is the
1970s and young Theo, who lost his parents when he was four, must now leave his
grandparents’s Kentucky farm with his uncle, a stranger to Theo, to move to
Florida. Uncle Raymond is an angry Vietnam veteran who has very strict rules
for Theo as they settle into Miss Sister Grandersole’s Rest Easy Rooming House
and Dance Academy in the tiny town of Destiny, Florida. Miss Sister is a kind
woman who takes a shine to Theo and encourages his talent for playing piano,
something Uncle Raymond has forbidden. Theo is befriended by a girl his age
named Anabel who shares his interest in baseball. Anabel’s pushy mother thinks
Theo is a bad influence. As soon as Theo begins to feel at home, his uncle
threatens to move and disrupt Theo’s life again.
“The only answer is
creaking bedsprings, then snoring. Before long, my uncle’s yelling about
jungles and guns and spit. Under the sheet, I
cover my ears and listen
for musical beats inside
my head.”
Augusta Scattergood
has written a middle-grade novel that presents her young
readers with a picture
of small-town America in the 1970s, shortly after the Vietnam War has fractured
society. This is a period seldom written about for this age group. The book has
excellent writing, compelling characters, strong conflicts, and a solid story
that should bring wide readership in the target audience.
 |
| Augusta Scattergood |
I have a gently read hardback copy of this terrific book for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a
US address, be a subscriber or follower and tell me that in a comment
you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click
HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like
extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet,
blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you
have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for
each that you do.
Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.
